SyrianAir Plans Sanctions-Busting Order For 20 Russian Irkut MC-21s

State-owned Syrian Arab Airlines has just seven European-built aircraft in its fleet, two of which are inoperable.

Raimund Stehmann

Syria’s flag-carrier is negotiating an order for 15 to 20 Russian-made Irkut MC-21s in an effort to evade Western sanctions that have crippled its operation for two decades.

State-owned Syrian Arab Airlines, also known as SyrianAir, is unable to source planes from most of the world’s aircraft manufacturers and leasing companies due to American and European embargos targeting the government of President Bashar al-Assad. It currently deploys just five ageing Airbus jets.

An attempt to source newer Airbuses was blocked by Washington earlier this decade, and the flag-carrier has been reluctant to induct most Russian models due to their dubious safety records and poor operating economics.

“In case the unjust sanctions from the West continue, we have alternative solutions to expand the company’s fleet with models manufactured by our friends in Russia,” Abdulkarim told me during an industry conference in Cairo. “They have a new product called the MC-21, which is comparable to and outclasses similar models from Airbus and Boeing.”

He said SyrianAir is evaluating an order for “at least 15 to 20 planes” with deliveries beginning in 2022 – two years after the MC-21 enters commercial service.

Asked whether Western components inside the Russian-built plane will expose the deal to sanctions enforcement, Abdulkarim said the model is “80% Russian” and that Irkut’s management assured him they “were able to get approval from the board members to begin selling the product”.

Irkut has sought to minimize non-domestic components in the MC-21 by making plans to replace its U.S.-made Pratt & Whitney engines with Aviadvigatel PD-14 turbofans produced in Russia.

SyrianAir’s existing fleet comprises six A320s – two of which are damaged and inoperable – plus one A340.

Abdulkarim admitted that his preference would be to remain an Airbus operator: “It makes sense to avoid the extra cost of re-training the team to work on a new model. But the main priority is to continue operating, and in order to do that I need to find alternatives in case the Europeans decide to continue with the sanctions.”

Its schedules suffer from regular delays and cancellations due to the challenge of maintaining a small, ageing fleet with little outside support. As well as being unable to buy new planes, SyrianAir routinely has safety-related licences blocked by the U.S. – a policy intended to degrade the airline’s capabilities, but which ultimately imperils Syrian civilians.

“The sad thing about the sanctions is that it severely punishes the Syrian people,” Abdulkarim said.

U.S. Treasury Threatens Response

The Office of Foreign Assets Control, the department within the U.S. Treasury responsible for global sanctions enforcement, declined to comment on the prospect of an Irkut deal but warned that any company entering into commercial agreements with SyrianAir risks severe consequences.

“Anyone that provides material support to, or knowingly engages in significant transactions with, Syrian Air … may themselves be sanctioned by the United States,” a spokesperson said.

“Treasury does not telegraph sanctions or comment on prospective actions. We constantly monitor for global activity that might undermine the integrity of our sanctions and trigger our authorities, and do not hesitate to pursue violations or sanctionable conduct when appropriate.”

Irkut did not respond to a request for comment.

In 2014, the Treasury imposed sanctions on Irkut’s parent company, United Aircraft Corporation, in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. That embargo was restricted to the group’s defense-related activities.

Sanctioning Moscow’s flagship civil aerospace program would be seen as a major escalation by Washington.